Insinuating Quotes

“All the same, we should excuse ourselves," Vergil said. "Although I am wondering if the meeting was already well concluded when we intruded." He gave Nathaniel a deep look on the last sentence that made Charlotte's caution prickle. She saw the big brother in him, thinking that a private chat with this man was in order.

Bianca still had not picked up the cue. "You are making plans regarding the petitions?"

"I trust that a petition came up at some point in the visit," Vergil said dryly. "Correct, Knightridge?"

Charlotte wanted to die. "Indeed one did," she said. "Mr. Knightridge is proving to be a great help in the cause."

Bianca beamed. "I always knew that the two of you would find common ground in something."

"Yes, we have discovered that we think alike in one small area," Nathaniel agreed.

Charlotte wanted to hit him.

"Indeed," Vergil muttered.”
― Madeline Hunter, Lady of Sin

“You won't have the urge to run to me and do unspeakable acts, but you will always feel my presence within the city, and we'll know one another's strong emotions."
"Who says I want to do any unspeakable acts?" She frowned.
"Certain desires must be consuming your thoughts, because that's exactly what I'm battling myself." I smiled, feeling particularly wicked at the scandalized look on her face.
"How does one acknowledge the bond then?" She looked away.
"A kiss should do it," I said.
"Didn't you already kiss my hand?"
Reaching out, I cupped her chin gently, rubbing my thumb over her soft bottom lip. "Here.”
― Sabrina Blackburry, Dirty Lying Faeries

“Thea," I said, my voice lower and firmer than I had intended. "I want you here, and even better, I'm glad you slept in my bed."
Another flush of emotion from the direction of Thea's warmth. Just a hint of lust. Her lips parted in surprise, and my eyes followed the motion with a spreading grin.
"Did you sleep well, bond mate?" I asked, low and with clear intent to tease.
Thea caught her breath and stood up straighter, pulling my shirt tighter around her shoulders. She looked me up and down, a mix of curiosity and scandal on her face. "Now who is thinking unspeakable things?"
Her reaction was unexpected and I chuckled as I took her fingers in my hand. "You're entangled with a fae now, darling. Unspeakable things are what I excel at.”
― Sabrina Blackburry, Dirty Lying Faeries

“Oh, my dear Apicata, how you have changed since we last met!"
Apicata didn't respond, or if she did we couldn't hear her.
"Apicata has been studying philosophy," Aelia said, trying to be conversational. "Apicata, recite for us some Plato, will you?"
I could hear a waver in her voice, although it was slight. I wondered if Apicius could hear it too.
"Yes, Mother." She was as obedient as you would ever hope a well-educated Roman child to be.
She cleared her throat and her voice rang out in a loud, clear tone. "From his Republic: 'The man who finds that in the course of his life he has done a lot of wrong often wakes up at night in terror, like a child with a nightmare, and his life is full of foreboding; but the man who is conscious of no wrongdoing is filled with cheerfulness and with the comfort of old age."
Oh, I could not have had more pride than I did then. Our little bird had spread her wings and let her voice take flight. I wished I could see the look on Sejanus's face.
There was silence, then a brief flurry of applause. "Lovely, my dear!" Aelia crowed, clearly pleased with her daughter's choice of words. "Oh, Sejanus, I'm sure you would be even more delighted by her poetry.”
― Crystal King, Feast of Sorrow

“I can't have my housekeeper rushing all about London so very agitated."
"Your housekeeper," Lord Caire said, his head snapping alarmingly to Val.
"Oh, yes, and rather more," Val drawled, taking her hand and kissing her knuckles in the most horrifying manner.”
― Elizabeth Hoyt, Duke of Sin

“Whoever wrote the column was careful in the wording of it."
"Obviously Lord Lambert wrote it," Pandora said.
"I wouldn't be so sure," Helen commented thoughtfully. "It doesn't have the tone of a young person. The manner is scolding... lecturing... not unlike a disapproving parent."
"Or chaperone," Pandora added, grinning at Lady Berwick, who gave her an admonishing glance.”
― Lisa Kleypas, Chasing Cassandra

“I'd love to cook," she says, "but who has the time? I can't afford to spend two days baking a cake."
The implication, of course, is that only unimportant people have that kind of time. Unimportant people like me. I wait for Adam to jump in and save me, but instead he shoves a forkful of lamb into his mouth and feigns deep interest in the contents of his dinner plate. For someone with Adam's political ambitions and penchant for friendly debate, I'm always amazed at the lengths he goes to avoid confrontation with his parents.
"I have a full-time job," I say, offering Sandy a labored smile, "and somehow I manage."
Sandy delicately places her fork on the table and interlaces her fingers. "I beg your pardon?"
My cheeks flush, and all the champagne and wine rush to my head at once. "All I'm saying is... we make time for the things we actually want to do. That's all."
Sandy purses her lips and sweeps her hair away from her face with the back of her hand. "Hannah, dear, I am very busy. I am on the board of three charities and am hosting two galas this year. It's not a matter of wanting to cook. I simply have more important things to do."
For a woman so different from my own mother- the frosted, well-groomed socialite to my mother's mousy, rumpled academic- she and my mother share a remarkably similar view of the role of cooking in a modern woman's life. For them, cooking is an irrelevant hobby, an amusement for women who lack the brains for more high-powered pursuits or the money to pay someone to perform such a humdrum chore. Sandy Prescott and my mother would agree on very little, but as women who have been liberated from the perfunctory task of cooking a nightly dinner, they would see eye to eye on my intense interest in the culinary arts.
Were I a stronger person, someone more in control of her faculties who has not drunk multiple glasses of champagne, I would probably let Sandy's remark go without commenting any further. But I cannot be that person. At least not tonight. Not when Sandy is suggesting, as it seems everyone does, that cooking isn't a priority worthy of a serious person's time.
"You would make the time if you wanted to," I say. "But obviously you don't.”
― Dana Bate, The Girls' Guide to Love and Supper Clubs

“As Susan walks away, Gloria looks at the man standing at the bar next to her, who seems to have his eyes affixed to her generous breasts. "Sorry," Gloria says, gesturing to his drink, "were you looking for something to put that on?”
― Brianne Moore, All Stirred Up

“If they accept me, they accept all of us. If they reject me, I'm going to burden you until you figure out what to do with me."
"I would give all the stolen crowns in the world for you to burden me," Flynn said--- giving his old, devilish smile at the end.”
― Liz Braswell, What Once Was Mine

“I swung by your office and asked Rochelle if she knew where I could find you."
"Of course you did," Daisy muttered under her breath making a mental note to find out how Rochelle knew where she was when she wasn't at work.
"She's a very accommodating woman." He shrugged off his jacket.
Daisy recoiled in horror. "Did you sleep with her?"
"Of course not. I don't fish in the company pond." A slow, sensual smile spread across his face. "Not unless the fish bite.”
― Sara Desai, The Dating Plan

“You more than like me." He scooted over until he was only inches away, his voice darkly teasing.
"Are you attempting to cross-examine something out of me?" She pushed herself up on her elbows. "Because I am a cross-examination master and I can see through your tricks."
"Is it a trick to admit a truth?" he asked softly. "I more than like you.”
― Sara Desai, The Singles Table

“China is indeed favored by the gods to have such a lovely blossom grace its throne.”
Out of the corner of her eye, Mulan saw Shang’s expression darken. She too heard the insult in those words. Flowers were beautiful and delicate. Ornamental.
She bared her teeth in a thin smile. “I’m quite fond of flowers myself. After your’e settled in the state guesthouses, you must tour the imperial gardens. There’s a particular variety called snow lace, a white blossom with rose-tinged petals. I collected it myself from the Tung-Shao Pass. Are you familiar with that region?”
The ambassador’s smirk froze on his face. The Tung-Shao Pass was where Mulan’s regiment had defeated Shan Yu’s men. There were already multiple ballads commemorating how Mulan used a rocket to trigger the avalanche that buried his entire army. “Yes, I am familiar with that pass.”
“I’m glad,” said Mulan. “It’s the mark of a good ambassador to know his host nation’s land and history, and I’m sure you are one of the very best.”
― Livia Blackburne, Feather and Flame

“When he saw her, his whole face lit up like a Vegas billboard. Like he was happy to see her. Like he liked her.
“Bad news, Simone. They only had one room left. Just one twin bed.” He tapped the key cards on the desk and bounced his brows, the corners of his mouth upturned. “Cozy, though.”
“If you want me to believe these ridiculous scenarios you keep throwing out, at least have the decency to keep a straight face.”
― Chandra Blumberg, Stirring Up Love

“I'm ready to have my house back," I said. "Someone wouldn't play with me while we had a guest." Placing my hands on her hips, I pulled her in gently for a heated kiss.
"Alan would hear us," she whispered.
"I'm trembling with concern," I drawled.
She smacked my chest lightly, but the playful grin she tried to shove off her face told a different story.
"At least wait until after dinner, okay? I'm starving."
With a wicked grin, I stole a kiss. "Be careful making deals with a fae, darling. I'll be holding you to it.”
― Sabrina Blackburry, Dirty Lying Faeries

“Her heart began to pound a little harder with the boldness of what she was about to say. "You'll sleep badly in the chair, Kit. Would you like to sleep next to me? I promise not to thrash about."
She tried to make her words light. Tried to make them sound like a practical suggestion, and less like the wanton invitation they disguised.
There was a long quiet so thick Susannah could have grabbed fistfuls of it.
"No, Susannah. I will sleep even more badly next to you."
His voice was night itself: ironic, dense with meaning, a little dangerous. He might as well have slipped a hand beneath her nightdress for how it made her feel.”
― Julie Anne Long, Beauty and the Spy

“It will be flavored with honey and orange zest. And I'm planning a sculptural element that I hope Betsy will love." I avoid making eye contact with Archie, working on pouring my batter into a variety of cake pans.
"It sounds gorgeous," he says, smiling. I look away.
"Hard to resist a pretty thing, isn't it?”
― Jessa Maxwell, The Golden Spoon